Halo 2 Xbox
Halo 2 Image
Metascore
95

Universal acclaim - based on 91 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 820 Ratings

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  • Summary: The Covenant alien race threatens to destroy all humankind, and the only thing standing in its way is Master Chief, a genetically enhanced supersoldier. Master Chief returns in Halo 2, which features new vehicles, weapons, environments, and more. This time, you can interact with your environment, wield two weapons at the same time, board opponents' vehicles, and even switch sides to play the role of a Covenant Elite. Halo 2 also supports broadband multiplayer action via Xbox Live. … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 89 out of 91
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 91
  3. Negative: 0 out of 91
  1. Adrenaline Vault
    100
    I can say with complete honesty that no other first-person shooter can touch Bungie's epic in terms of level design, gunplay, sheer action or multiplayer entertainment.
  2. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    100
    From the huge gameplay twist early on, to taking down a giant walking tank, to way late in the game when you team up with certain...teammates, all the way to an end that'll leave you with the same breathless feeling you had when you first watched "The Empire Strikes Back"...moments like these turn a fun game into a monumental experience.
  3. Xbox Nation Magazine
    100
    Microsoft and Bungie have created a gigantic bell that sounds like thunder and reverberates with a fury worthy of a gale-force hurricane. It's not perfect, but get in front of it, and wonderful things - wonderful destructive things - are bound to happen. [Dec 2004, p.72]
  4. Gaming Target
    97
    A fantastic example of pure artistic vision coupled with serious technological know-how.
    All this publication's reviews
  5. PALGN
    95
    It's a game that deserves every superlative attached to it, a title so well-rounded and technically superior that it demands to be played. [Offline review only - includes multiplayer]
  6. Gamer's Hell
    91
    The system works well, even if it is different from what you are used to. Stop whining, learn how to create a party for custom games and enjoy the benefits of the matchmaking system the rest of the time. It's not perfect but neither is the traditional server list model.
  7. Cinescape
    67
    I felt so screwed out of some sort of satisfaction, screwed out of more levels off of the Halo, screwed out of many hours of my life that I just poured into one of the most amazingly bad excuses for a single-player first-person shooter campaign. I was bored, I was tired and by the end of it, I was just really pissed off.

See all 91 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 352 out of 453
  2. Mixed: 49 out of 453
  3. Negative: 52 out of 453
  1. Luciort
    Dec 5, 2004
    10
    bob g.df? camera angles? mmmm, i thought this was a first person shooter
  2. Exos1stWalker
    Jul 29, 2006
    10
    First of all if you walked into a store and you saw Halo 2 and Half-life 2 on shelf and you never had any of them get Half-life 2. There';s nothging next-gen about it but one thing. The graphics not so good. The storyline is more off an ass wipe. But the way it's put together is quite next gen indeed. The multiplayer is quite sexy indeed. Counter Strike is still better...… Expand
  3. man
    Sep 9, 2011
    10
    This jaw dropping sequel lives up to all of the hype of its never-forgotten predecessor!!!Halo 2 revisits everything that made the first game so amazing and adds a fresh new continuing of the story of Halo.Not only does it improve in that department,but we are introduced to the amazing side hero of the series,Arbiter,a Covenant traitor.And Bungie didn't stop there!Arbiter is playable in campaign and whether it's Chief or Arbiter's point of view,the game feels just as fresh and breathtaking as Combat Evolved.Don't miss this exciting sequel!!!… Expand
  4. BryanS.
    Sep 19, 2007
    9
    While the story line of Halo 2 takes the series in a drastically convoluted, and (in my opinion) unwelcome direction, there is simply no denying the might of Halo 2's multiplayer. Virtually unrivaled by almost anything on the market, Halo 2 is numbered among my favorite games for its multiplayer component alone. Truly the stuff of dreams.… Expand
  5. Marc.D.
    Sep 28, 2007
    8
    I recently played this game after I got myself a 360. Therefore, my review of the game is decidedly influenced by the arrival of newer and flashier games like Gears. That said, Halo 2 stands as a fine example of videogames as an interactive medium for storytelling. The epic sci-fi plot boasts a wonderfully rich narractive and succeeds in engaging the player on some many levels. The single player admittedly lacks innovation. However, it takes many elements of the FPS genre, adds in a deep level of strategy and meshes it with the ace plot. Like everyone else has been saying...Halo 2 is about the multiplayer. And this is where is ruled until Gears arrived on the scene last year. Check it out if you haven't...then jump straight into Halo 3. After completing the second installment...you'll be compelled to finish the fight.… Expand
  6. Propchecy15
    Dec 11, 2004
    7
    It is sad i never thought halo 2, would be so depressing after the 2years and a half of waiting for halo 2 to come out and beat it on the 11th pissed me off i found it way to short, and the storyline sometimes pisses me off they count one level as 4 in the beggining menu and the first level is actually a movie i was really ticked at bungie the dual wielding is cool, new vehicles, but the glitched movies really got to me. in all i thought this game wasnt as good as it could have been but the multiplayer is fun. too bad no bots.… Expand
  7. TuomasK.
    Nov 5, 2004
    0
    Too Bad this game was ugly rubbish. No where near at Killzone.

See all 453 User Reviews